Metropolitan Museum

Pottery fragments, once in the form of a woman holding a basket

Pottery fragments

Pottery fragments, once in the form of a woman holding a basket. Pottery from ancient Egypt are valuable archaeological artifacts that provide insights into the daily life, culture, and craftsmanship of the ancient Egyptians. These fragments can come from various types of pottery vessels, such as bowls, jars, and amphorae, and they can be decorated...

Overseer of Builders, Amenhotep

Funerary Mask of the Overseer of Builders, Amenhotep. Amenhotep is believed to have lived and worked sometime between 1427–1390 B.C. of the 18th Dynasty. He is titled with the title of Over Seer of Builders, seemingly working under the king Amenhotep II and/or Thutmose IV.Thutmose being the son and heir of Amenhotep II. The death...

Heart Scarab of Hatnefer

Heart Scarab of Hatnefer

The heart scarab of Hatnefer is an exceptionally fine example of this type of funerary equipment and is comparable to those made for contemporary royalty. Every feature of the scarab beetle is carefully rendered. The exquisite chain is made of gold wire, plaited in a quadruple-link pattern. The scarab’s base is engraved with a version...

Mummy of Kharushere

Mummy of Kharushere

Cartonnage shell containing the mummy of Kharushere, who held the office of Doorkeeper of the House of Amun. His parents were the Doorkeeper of the House of Amun, Bes, and the Mistress of the House, Chantress of Amun, Tanetheretib. The outer layer of Kharushere’s mummy consists of a large sheet. It is held in place...

Thutmose III as a Sphinx

Thutmose III as a Sphinx

This finely executed representation of Thutmose III as a sphinx is made of extremely hard stone. The transition between the head of the king and the powerful feline body has been masked by the nemes headdress and the stylized lion’s mane which forms a bib-like panel on the chest. A short column of inscription running...

Sphinx of Senusret III

Sphinx of Senusret III

In this magnificent example, the face belongs to Senusret III of 12th Dynasty whose features are very distinctive. With the body of a lion and the head of a human, the sphinx symbolically combined the power of the lion with the image of the reigning king. He wears a pleated linen headcloth, called a nemes...

Statue of Kneeling Captive

Statue of Kneeling Captive

This statue of kneeling captive can be dated to the reign of Pepi II for stylistic reasons. Beginning at least in the mid 5th Dynasty, large sculptures of bound foreign captives appeared in the pharaoh’s pyramid complex. Pepi I and Pepi II had great numbers of them. Statues of prisoners were presumably placed in areas...

Statue of Nursing Woman

Statue of a Nursing Woman

The nursing woman sits on the ground with one knee raised. Against the hammock of cloth formed by her skirt stretched over her knee she holds a child whose yellow skin indicates she is a girl. With one hand the woman holds the child’s head, while with the other she offers her breast to the...

The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu

Statue of the Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu

This statue evokes the intimacy of Memi and his companion, Sabu, although she is set somewhat apart by her oblique gaze. Until recently, the flowering of nonroyal statuary was believed to have occurred only in the 4th and 6th Dynasties. Recent studies indicate, however, that many of these nonroyal statues, including Memi and Sabu, are...

A battle scene depicting Asiatic bearded men being trampled under the horses that pull the Egyptian royal chariot.

Asiatic enemies trampled

A battle scene depicting Asiatic bearded men (West Asia/Eastern Mediterranean) being trampled under the horses that pull the Egyptian royal chariot. This block with a fragmented scene was discovered (MMA excavations, 1912–13) within the Temple of Ramesses IV, among the foundation where it was being reused as a foundational block. Some Egyptologists dated this piece...